FLOODING around Swindon could have been prevented if the council had invested in extra maintenance, according to affected residents.

The heavy downpours of recent weeks has caused problems around the town, and concerns have been raised that only one street sweeper is currently in commission for the entire borough, leaving the authority unable to cope with essential maintenance work.

Arthur Beltrami, 76, of Spencer Close, said money should be invested more wisely if problems in the future are to be avoided.

“With the increased rain the problem is getting worse, and there is no maintenance at all,” he said. “They are not cleaning the ditches or keeping the drains clear. As debris builds up, alongside the level of the river which flows past rising, it is getting to the point where soon we will be back to the same situation as years ago.”

Arthur said while they had experienced flooding, some work had been done to solve the problem in recent years. We had flooding around the rear of our street and at the bottom leading through down to the Hungry Horse pub,” he said.

“That area is about eight feet deep, so we still get flooding around there since it became really bad about two or three years ago.

“Prevention is better than the cure, and flooding will cost people a lot of damage in insurance costs. But they seem to cancel all the important things from the budget.

“The work they have carried out has improved the situation, but unless there is at least some degree of maintenance it will come back again. We have got a lot of money being spent on certain projects, but the basics need to be sorted first. Unless they consult and do their research properly, it will always lead to wasted money.

“It is more important to keep houses from flooding than to focus on pet projects. Maintenance has been reduced to just one vehicle, and you only have to look at what else has disappeared over the last year, with regular grass cutting being suspended and only being done by request, that the priorities are all wrong.

“In the middle of this battle for money are people who should be consulted. What is important is what they do with the money they have and what projects they give the green light to. Having made up their minds about how money should be spent they are not inclined to change it when circumstances change.”

Martin Hambidge, parks manager for Swindon Council, said financial restrictions would make the commissioning of extra street sweepers impossible.

“We have one gully sweeper and one road sweeper for the whole of the borough, and that is a budgetary issue,” he said.

“While we would love to have more machines to carry out this work, each machine is very expensive, and considering the current financial situation it would not be practical to add to that number.”

Comments (25)

SBC nees to review what proportion of its income is needed to keep the borough functioning properly. Ignoring maintenance of the infrastructure is usually considered to be a problem of less developed countries but it appears to also be happening at home.

What happens in the winter to the people who sit on machines and keep the grass looking tidy? They should be out clearing the leaves (a major cause of blocked gulleys) and clearing vegetation in the drainage channels.

Make you input on the consultation at http://www.swindon.g
ov.uk/floodrisk and ensure that SBC is aware of all the locations that flooding is a risk and needs regular mitigating action.

SBC nees to review what proportion of its income is needed to keep the borough functioning properly. Ignoring maintenance of the infrastructure is usually considered to be a problem of less developed countries but it appears to also be happening at home.
What happens in the winter to the people who sit on machines and keep the grass looking tidy? They should be out clearing the leaves (a major cause of blocked gulleys) and clearing vegetation in the drainage channels.
Make you input on the consultation at http://www.swindon.g
ov.uk/floodrisk and ensure that SBC is aware of all the locations that flooding is a risk and needs regular mitigating action.John~R

I don't think many would disagree, but if they spend more on this then where do they cut to cover it? It is a very fine balancing act that very few public sector areas are very good at. They are great at wasting money and failing to get rid of staff well past their sell by dates and being top heavy (over 100 staff on more than £50k a year before pension contributions from employer of around 20%), but running an efficient value for money focused service they are not.

I don't think many would disagree, but if they spend more on this then where do they cut to cover it? It is a very fine balancing act that very few public sector areas are very good at. They are great at wasting money and failing to get rid of staff well past their sell by dates and being top heavy (over 100 staff on more than £50k a year before pension contributions from employer of around 20%), but running an efficient value for money focused service they are not.house on the hill

The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!

Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.

The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!
Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.Morsey

Morsey wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!

Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.

Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.

[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!
Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.[/p][/quote]Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.John~R

Swindon has one of the cheapest council tax bills in the area, I for one am happy to pay more for some services, but protecting homes (Spencer Close), which, to my knowledge, have never flooded, is not one of them. Perhaps Arthur Beltrami should come forward with a positive statement instead of his usual "mealy mouthed" moans. He is getting to be like Victor Meldrew without the redeeming features.

Swindon has one of the cheapest council tax bills in the area, I for one am happy to pay more for some services, but protecting homes (Spencer Close), which, to my knowledge, have never flooded, is not one of them. Perhaps Arthur Beltrami should come forward with a positive statement instead of his usual "mealy mouthed" moans. He is getting to be like Victor Meldrew without the redeeming features.rixon

Morsey wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!

Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.

You have clearly never worked at the Council (or have only ever worked there) or you would know that we pay more than enough to run the town, but those running it just haven't got a clue. The waste and excess overpaid box ticking staff who don't actually produce anything meaningful and just sit in meetings where all they decide is the date of the next meeting or have endless roles checking others work who then check someone else's and so on. And this is not made up, any other business would have gone bust years ago they way it is run. Those of us who have worked in both private and public will tell you it is actually scary working there as you wonder how it doesn't all just fall over.

[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!
Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.[/p][/quote]You have clearly never worked at the Council (or have only ever worked there) or you would know that we pay more than enough to run the town, but those running it just haven't got a clue. The waste and excess overpaid box ticking staff who don't actually produce anything meaningful and just sit in meetings where all they decide is the date of the next meeting or have endless roles checking others work who then check someone else's and so on. And this is not made up, any other business would have gone bust years ago they way it is run. Those of us who have worked in both private and public will tell you it is actually scary working there as you wonder how it doesn't all just fall over.house on the hill

Record levels of rain and one of the wettest years in recorded history in 2013 in the UK.

As we all know only too well, many areas have been completely flood and under water for several weeks throughout the UK.

I wonder if all those people have immediately blamed the council for freak weather conditions that were completely out of there control.

By the way, it'll come as no surprise to anyone that Arthur Beltrami is a known left-wing rabble rouser who has even been a signatory to a rather laughable 'Urgent Call for Reform' to Swindon Council.

You'd think the Adver would be more switched on to these politically motivated chancers using their pages to further their nefarious agenda.

Record levels of rain and one of the wettest years in recorded history in 2013 in the UK.
As we all know only too well, many areas have been completely flood and under water for several weeks throughout the UK.
I wonder if all those people have immediately blamed the council for freak weather conditions that were completely out of there control.
By the way, it'll come as no surprise to anyone that Arthur Beltrami is a known left-wing rabble rouser who has even been a signatory to a rather laughable 'Urgent Call for Reform' to Swindon Council.
You'd think the Adver would be more switched on to these politically motivated chancers using their pages to further their nefarious agenda.ChannelX

Morsey wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!

Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.

Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.

Absolutely. The naive socialist approach of just thinking 'It'll all be OK if we just throw loads more taxpayers' money at it' has never worked and will never work, we just end up paying more for the same.

Yet they never learn.

[quote][p][bold]John~R[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!
Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.[/p][/quote]Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.[/p][/quote]Absolutely. The naive socialist approach of just thinking 'It'll all be OK if we just throw loads more taxpayers' money at it' has never worked and will never work, we just end up paying more for the same.
Yet they never learn.ChannelX

Morsey wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!

Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.

Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.

Absolutely. The naive socialist approach of just thinking 'It'll all be OK if we just throw loads more taxpayers' money at it' has never worked and will never work, we just end up paying more for the same.

Yet they never learn.

Nurse :"It didn't work Doctor"
Doctor: "Increase the dose"

Socialists don't understand the concept of flogging a dead horse.

[quote][p][bold]ChannelX[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]John~R[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
The ploy of boastful vote grabbing by the Tories in keeping Council Tax down, both nationally and here, was always going to backfire on them. We just do not pay enough CT to run the town it is clear, it's all very well to totally dispose of the directly employed, but also obvious that private contractors will cost more in the long run!
Total shambles ... as they are increasing CT in desperation from April as it is, but it still lags behind what is required for services to be returned ... and Labour will be so afraid of upping CT in the future when they take the reins as it cost them dearly in the past as they raised the cash the Tories spent on the library. At least they didn't borrow that money as this lot did for the multi storey very few find beneficial.[/p][/quote]Unfortunately, paying more council tax doesn't necessarily refocus attention on what really needs to be done and how to do it more efficiently.[/p][/quote]Absolutely. The naive socialist approach of just thinking 'It'll all be OK if we just throw loads more taxpayers' money at it' has never worked and will never work, we just end up paying more for the same.
Yet they never learn.[/p][/quote]Nurse :"It didn't work Doctor"
Doctor: "Increase the dose"
Socialists don't understand the concept of flogging a dead horse.scottwichall

You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
"We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"

Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.

You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
"We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"
Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.Morsey

should your home or business flood due to the incompetence of SBC not doing their job properly (ie. maintenance) then your insurance company (if they are any good) should be claiming direct from SBC as they are the cause of the flood damage in the first instance (providing it can be proven of course). So if more people put in claims against the council for flood damage ect.. then surely that would spur the idiots on to actually do something about the situation ??? Just a thought !!! to put this into easy terms, say 3 cars have a pile up, your the front car, a car behind you is stationary and a third comes along hitting the rear of the car behind you in turn shunting them into you, your claim would be against the 3rd car as it would be them that caused the accident. :)

should your home or business flood due to the incompetence of SBC not doing their job properly (ie. maintenance) then your insurance company (if they are any good) should be claiming direct from SBC as they are the cause of the flood damage in the first instance (providing it can be proven of course). So if more people put in claims against the council for flood damage ect.. then surely that would spur the idiots on to actually do something about the situation ??? Just a thought !!! to put this into easy terms, say 3 cars have a pile up, your the front car, a car behind you is stationary and a third comes along hitting the rear of the car behind you in turn shunting them into you, your claim would be against the 3rd car as it would be them that caused the accident. :)nelle2705

Morsey wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
&quot;We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"

Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.

That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.

As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.

The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!

It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.

Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?

[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
"We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"
Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.[/p][/quote]That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.
As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.
The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!
It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.
Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?ChannelX

I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!!

I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!!Hangbrownhigh

Morsey wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
&quot;We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"

Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.

That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.

As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.

The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!

It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.

Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?

Not really sure what the NHS has to do with some ditches not being maintained.

They haven't been maintained near me either. I'm not sure though, are ditches and culverts the responsibility of the local authority or the environment agency?

I suspect both will say the other which is why nothing ever gets done about these.

[quote][p][bold]ChannelX[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
"We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"
Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.[/p][/quote]That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.
As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.
The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!
It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.
Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?[/p][/quote]Not really sure what the NHS has to do with some ditches not being maintained.
They haven't been maintained near me either. I'm not sure though, are ditches and culverts the responsibility of the local authority or the environment agency?
I suspect both will say the other which is why nothing ever gets done about these.The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man

Morsey wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
&quot;We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"

Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.

That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.

As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.

The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!

It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.

Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?

Not really sure what the NHS has to do with some ditches not being maintained.

They haven't been maintained near me either. I'm not sure though, are ditches and culverts the responsibility of the local authority or the environment agency?

I suspect both will say the other which is why nothing ever gets done about these.

I understand that the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 puts a lot more responsibility on the local authorities to maintain the flood-related infrastructure in their area. That, IMO, includes cleaning any watercourses where partial or total blockage could cause flooding. this is a new responsibility and I would be happy to pay for an increase in my council tax to have this service undertaken efficiently.

[quote][p][bold]The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]ChannelX[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Morsey[/bold] wrote:
You see ... just as I expected ... if one went into a restaurant and asked for a meal and the reply was ...
"We have two levels of fare ... level one will cost you £12 for your meal, if we cook it ... but for £8 you can make it yourself and save four quid!"
Clear example is of residents, at their own expense, take their green waste to the tip, it will apparently work out cheaper than paying the stealth CT increase in the form of a green wheelie bin!! WE need to pay the correct levels for services we require and expect.[/p][/quote]That's the issue, though. The 'services' that you socialists 'require and expect' are very different from what normal people would require and expect.
As I've said on another thread, simply paying the same people more money, or hiring more similar people to do the same job, DOESN'T automatically result in better services.
The NHS employs almost 2 MILLION people and yet that barely manages to stagger along delivering an average service. That's 1 NHS employee for every 32 people in the country!
It's just daft Marxist naivety that says it'll all be OK as long as there are loads of workers employed on massive salaries. It's just utter nonsense.
Or is Morsey suggesting that everyone in the public sector deliberately doesn't work very hard or well because they'd like a bit more money?[/p][/quote]Not really sure what the NHS has to do with some ditches not being maintained.
They haven't been maintained near me either. I'm not sure though, are ditches and culverts the responsibility of the local authority or the environment agency?
I suspect both will say the other which is why nothing ever gets done about these.[/p][/quote]I understand that the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 puts a lot more responsibility on the local authorities to maintain the flood-related infrastructure in their area. That, IMO, includes cleaning any watercourses where partial or total blockage could cause flooding. this is a new responsibility and I would be happy to pay for an increase in my council tax to have this service undertaken efficiently.John~R

Hangbrownhigh wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!!

Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinion

[quote][p][bold]Hangbrownhigh[/bold] wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!![/p][/quote]Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinionLocalboy86

Hangbrownhigh wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!!

Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinion

Yes I've experienced that

[quote][p][bold]Localboy86[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Hangbrownhigh[/bold] wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!![/p][/quote]Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinion[/p][/quote]Yes I've experienced thatEmpty Car Park

nelle2705 wrote:
should your home or business flood due to the incompetence of SBC not doing their job properly (ie. maintenance) then your insurance company (if they are any good) should be claiming direct from SBC as they are the cause of the flood damage in the first instance (providing it can be proven of course). So if more people put in claims against the council for flood damage ect.. then surely that would spur the idiots on to actually do something about the situation ??? Just a thought !!! to put this into easy terms, say 3 cars have a pile up, your the front car, a car behind you is stationary and a third comes along hitting the rear of the car behind you in turn shunting them into you, your claim would be against the 3rd car as it would be them that caused the accident. :)

The problem with that is it isn't their money, its public money so there is no reason for them to care!

[quote][p][bold]nelle2705[/bold] wrote:
should your home or business flood due to the incompetence of SBC not doing their job properly (ie. maintenance) then your insurance company (if they are any good) should be claiming direct from SBC as they are the cause of the flood damage in the first instance (providing it can be proven of course). So if more people put in claims against the council for flood damage ect.. then surely that would spur the idiots on to actually do something about the situation ??? Just a thought !!! to put this into easy terms, say 3 cars have a pile up, your the front car, a car behind you is stationary and a third comes along hitting the rear of the car behind you in turn shunting them into you, your claim would be against the 3rd car as it would be them that caused the accident. :)[/p][/quote]The problem with that is it isn't their money, its public money so there is no reason for them to care!LordAshOfTheBrake

Hangbrownhigh wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!!

Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinion

Yes I've experienced that

Doesn't say much for Labour's Maura Clarke then:

9th August 2013

The Conservative party has secured its one-seat majority following Oliver Donachie winning the Haydon Wick by election, yesterday.

The new Tory councillor for the ward stole 1,376 of votes compared to Labour’s Maura Clarke who received 887

I think you should stand as a councillor Jase, see how you get on.

[quote][p][bold]Empty Car Park[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Localboy86[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Hangbrownhigh[/bold] wrote:
I reported a serious culvert blockage causing a stream to flood between Blagrove and Mannington to a councillor. He reported it and nothing has been done. The stream was backing up and flowing onto a public footpath adjacent to the railway line. It was fortunate it stopped raining for twelve hours otherwise the adjacent allotments would have flooded. Did the councillor follow up on his action? Well the culvert is still blocked and when the rain comes again!!!!!!!!!![/p][/quote]Oliver Donachie I bet, he's useless in my opinion[/p][/quote]Yes I've experienced that[/p][/quote]Doesn't say much for Labour's Maura Clarke then:
[quote]
9th August 2013
The Conservative party has secured its one-seat majority following Oliver Donachie winning the Haydon Wick by election, yesterday.
The new Tory councillor for the ward stole 1,376 of votes compared to Labour’s Maura Clarke who received 887
[/quote]
I think you should stand as a councillor Jase, see how you get on.ChannelX